File:Ceiling of Dilwara Jain Temple Abu Rajasthan India.jpg

Title: Winter India Year: 1903 (1900s) Authors: Scidmore, Eliza Ruhamah, 1856-1928 Subjects: India -- Description and travel Publisher: New York : The Century Co. Contributing Library: University of California Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image: y greenand thriving crops, and groups of palms in everyvista. Violets bloomed by the dak banglas door-steps, where a fine old Idiansamah greeted us andgave us tea with Goanese guava jelly on crisp toastin a warm room. Mount Abu is the headquarters of the residentwho rules the seventeen Rajput principalities, andfrom him we secured a permit to visit the Jain tem-ples. The Jains are the last of the Buddhists leftin India and their creed is still closely akin to thatGautama devised for his people, although their ob-servance of caste is contrary to the fundamentalprinciple of Buddhism. A Rajput officer in Euro-pean coat, draped dhotee, and a sword as his badgeof race and rank, with a red-coated chuprassyfrom the Residency, escorted us the next morningthe two miles to the Dilwarra shrines. The guardat the temple gate hurriedly wound himself intohis kamarband, set his turban straight, and, shoul-dering his carbine, paced the flags energeticallywhile we waited for the permits to be examined.

Text Appearing After Image: MOUNT ABU AND AHMEDABAD 361 Another red coat and yellow turban came, and thethree guided us around the two Jain temples, whichare the most elaborately carved and decoratedshrines in India. They were built in the eleventhand twelfth centuries, and the marble was broughtfrom quarries twelve miles away and carved to frost-and lace-like fineness. Marble cloisters whose alcove chapels containseated images of the tirthankars, or Jain saints, sur-round an inner court holding the elaborately con-structed and decorated central shrine and altar.One marvels as much at the perfect preservationas at the minute, lavish ornamentation; and forthe preservation the Rajputs have to thank the Eng-lish. In the central domical halls of both templesthe columns, arches, struts, trusses, beams, centralpanels, and altar-fronts are covered with myriads oftiny figures and bands of conventional ornament infull and low relief, a marble filigree-work surpass-ing anything to be seen elsewhere. Scenes from thelives o

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